Monday, June 19, 2017

May was so fun! Full of adventures, and play dates and time spent enjoying the last bit of cool weather! Cam hit that super fun baby mode. He is cooing and giggling, social smiling, gurgling and is just the happiest most content baby you'll ever meet.

Campbell officially became a thumb sucker this month! It's so cute and so nice that he can soothe himself without help from a paci. I felt so sad for him though because when he was first trying to figure it out, he wasn't (and still isn't to be honest) too coordinated, and he had tons of scratches all over his cheeks from trying to find his mouth.

He is such a chill little guy, and makes it so easy to go out and run errands or take Izzy out on a date, go to the zoo or the botanical gardens! He just sleeps, or hangs out in his carseat, or in the Lillebaby.

We went to our first baseball game as a family of 4, and it was a blast! Cam loves all the fun new things to look at, and as always Izzy loved playing I Spy, clapping and cheering, and playing on the playground.

We celebrated another Mother's Day, and it was so great, especially with two littles to call me momma! Alex, my dad and my father in law planned a big Mothers Day dinner with both sides of the family, and all the men cooked all the moms dinner and it was a blast! New Mother's Day tradition?!

The very next weekend we had everyone over again to bless Cam. It was low key, we blessed him at home, and the blessing was so sweet. We all felt very loved and supported and I'm grateful for all the family and friends we have in our lives who help raise, nurture, and love our children.

Right after the blessing, my mom, the kids and I packed up and headed to the airport to go to Disneyland for Izzy's birthday! The kiddos did amazing on the flight, and we zonked out at our hotel, ready to hit up Dland bright and early! We had a great hotel that was less that .2 miles from the entrance, and we got through those magical gates right at 9am. We snagged a picture with floral Mickey and then headed to Pooh Bear. Izzy had been to Disneyland 2 times before this, and the chick knew what she wanted to do! I let her lead the way since this trip was 100% for her. We rode Pooh bear 3 times in a row, and then met the characters, which she loved. We rode all the rides she wanted, ate churros and got bubbles. We saw the parade, shopped and even though it was pretty hot and crowded, i'd say we had a great time!

California Adventures was the next day, and it did not disappoint. We got our fast passes for world of color, rode Midway mania at least 4 times, rode Ariel, saw the Frozen show, rode rides in Cars Land, ate yummy new foods and threw a few tantrums for good measure. Even though more tears were shed than I'd like to admit, I'm still so glad we were able to have this last little trip to Disney while Iz was still free!

Cam clearly loved his first time at the Happiest Place on Earth, as he was comfortable enough to sleep his way through most of it <3

By the end of the month it was time for the LAKE! Cam is in love with the boat... so long as it's moving! If we are stopped he fusses and cries, but the minute we start driving he is content as can be, and usually ends up taking a nap. We spent a week with my family and cousins on a house boat at Lake Powell and it was a wonderful time, Izzy and cam got non stop attention and love, I got to take naps in the sun, we played endless amounts of Mario Kart on the Wii, we surfed and cliff jumped and explored canyons and ate tasty food! It was so nice to be with family, out of cell phone range, spending time in one of my favorite places on this earth! Big thanks to my mom and dad for arranging the whole thing!

I'm in love with my sweet son. He's such a blessing and I cannot imagine my life without him.

It's been a week since Izzy turned 3, and it still is so weird to say. She's a full blown kid, and an incredible one at that. I can hardly believe how smart she is, and her sense of humor gets me every day. She is the kindest kid, is creative, and has the sweetest imagination. I have loved watching her blossom and grow this past year. I'm truly honored to be her mom.

In honor of her birthday, I want to share my top memories from this past year.

1. Camping - Last august we went camping with my family, and I loved seeing how adventurous Izzy was. She's not typically super crazy, or wild, but when she is outdoors in the woods, she loves to climb on logs, collect sticks, and ride Papa's Rhino. I loved how she would ask to go "bumpity-bumpity" over and over again, and how she knew that if she wanted to go, she needed to wear her helmet.

2. Meeting Mickey Mouse - I already talked about this experience in another blog post, but to recap, seeing Izzy meet Mickey was just about the best thing I've ever witnessed. I was unsure as to how she would react, but watching her run to him when it was our turn, and hug him so tight and not let go for a solid minute and a half was pretty much the best reaction possible. Our whole first visit to Disney was a magical one, but if all we did was meet Mickey Mouse, I would've been happy, her reaction was just that good.

3. My little travel buddy - I have loved traveling with Iz. She is such a trooper, loves planes, makes friends with everyone, and just makes every trip better because she is there. We went to Denver, Utah, Disneyland (x3), and I'm so so glad Izzy was there with us!

4. Becoming a Big Sister - From the minute we explained to Izzy that she would be getting a baby, she was 100% on board. She had a good understanding as to what was going on, and loved talking to my belly, and giving it kisses any chance she got. I loved how she had randomly nicknamed him Baby Jellyfish McHardy. And then, once Cam was born her true love for being a big sister came out. She gives that little man more kisses, and singing him lullabies, holds his hands, tells him how much she loves him, plays with him, burps him, rocks him, consoles him, and makes him smile and laugh more that anyone else. I absolutely love watching Izzy and Cam's relationship blossom.

5.All her cute words, phrases, and quirks - "waterlemon" "these are the fluffiest clouds i've ever seen!" When she called the Disney Castle a temple. Mixing up 'tomato' and 'potato'. The way she gives us all a 'million kisses'. "lememmade". Her unprompted "I love you"s, and the way she can sign i love you in ASL. Hearing her count and say her colors in Spanish. They way she dances and shakes her little bum. Hearing her sing all the songs, if it's on the radio or frequents our pandora stations, you can bet she knows the words. The way she can negotiate with you about anything "but but but but... how 'bout this....". "SHOCKER". The way she will tell you exactly what to say. "That will be splendid". Her love for Pooh Bear, TinkerBell and Dory. Her love for rainbows. Her obsession with playing "I spy" and how she'll say "nope, that's not what I was thinking about" when you guess it wrong. "Quesadeeda" How she showed people she was two by using her thumb and pointer fingers. When you'd ask her "Do you know what we are gonna do?", and she'd say "YES!" and you'd say "What?" and she'd say "I don't know" with the cutest little shrug. The way she said Gatorade with a looong A sound "Gaaaaatorade". Her love for watching baseball while eating popsicles. Wrapping up random things and giving them to you as a present.

I wish I had a better way of documenting all that she says and does. This blog post seems less than sufficient. I'm missing everything. I'm afraid I will forget what she was like. How smart she was at such a young age, the sound of her voice, her little features. I'm constantly amazed by her. I wish I was a better mom for her, she deserves so much. I look forward to every day I get to spend with her, and I love her more than she will ever ever know.